Promise Not to Fall
by Rasengan22
Summary: We're always hoping for that one person to pull us back from the ledge, but what if the biggest surprise ends up being just who that one person turns out to be. Dark themes, darker humor, and a side of internalized rage. Naruto and Sasuke.
1. Chapter 1

a/n: I'll work on a second part this week. Hoping it's just a simple two-shot. It's a dark comedy... thing.

 **Warnings:** If you're triggered by mentions of suicide or depression, please consider whether this is the fic for you.

* * *

 _Promise Not to Fall_  
Part 1

He braced himself on the concrete barrier of the high-rise rooftop and, with a grunt, pulled himself up until he could stand. With a view that overlooked downtown Los Angeles, Naruto gave one last glance around the city where he'd lived these past 28 years. The night, though smoggy, was clear enough to pick out the lights of other high-rises and a few low-flying planes heading to or from LAX. Not much breeze to speak of and the humidity left strands of blond hair sticking to his forehead and cheek. For the first time, he looked down not knowing whether it was normal that he wasn't afraid. Instead, it was fascinating to watch the long lines of red and white lights dotting the 110 as heavy traffic trudged along the freeway. It was funny, really, how the only sound he could hear was a low ringing in his ear. There were a few things he thought about: last fight with his ex-girlfriend, last time they had sex, a time they were happy. He couldn't call up much about his parents since they'd died when he was young. A few moments with friends came to mind, but after this past week, Naruto had determined he'd been using that word too loosely all of these years. He'd spent the better part of this last decade busting his ass at a job for supervisors who didn't give a fuck about how hard he worked. Student loans and credit card debt had begun piling up over his head, and it always felt like, no matter how hard he tried, he couldn't dig himself out of this hole he'd fallen into over the past six months.

It wasn't that he lacked the courage to jump. It was just that even up until this point, he couldn't stop being angry and, in a way, that was fuel as much as love could be. He'd never expected himself to be a person who could come to hate so easily, but no one was perfect. As a kid, he'd had all these amazing plans for himself. By 30, he would've expected to be something great, whether that was a good job or a family with kids. Yet, he had neither.

It was hard to say how much time had passed while he stood there, half-thinking about the reasons why he wanted to jump and, the other half, was just his brain nagging him: jump, jump, jump. Fall, fall, fall. Falling from this rooftop might be the freest few minutes of his life. What happened after that didn't matter much as he knew he'd be dead on impact. He'd considered lots of other ways to kill himself—carbon monoxide, pills, stealing a friend's gun—but there was something about the _fall_ that intrigued him. It must've been fate, too, because, for some reason, his employee ID wouldn't let him out onto the roof. It was only by chance that a friendly old janitor had believed him when he'd said he'd left something out here yesterday.

Naruto felt bad for lying to him but after a very long personal history of people constantly taking advantage of his kindness, seemed about time to return the favor. Besides, the guy didn't know him. For a lot of people, Naruto was forgettable. He didn't expect to gain attention from jumping, nor was he exacting revenge especially. He also wasn't looking for it "all to stop."

Impulsive? Yes, possibly. But what a way to go, huh?

He closed his eyes, breathed in deep, and prepared himself. The ringing in his ears hit a high-pitch, almost like an alarm bell. Every muscle in his body felt tight and his heart had begun beating fast as the adrenaline surged throughout his body. There was a sting in his palms as the nails began digging into his skin. He took in one more deep breath, moved his right foot forward, and—

Felt himself fall backward onto the cold concrete.

With a grunt, he smacked his elbow on the ground, head knocking into some unknown object. He found himself looking up at the sky and nearly had a heart attack when the ground beneath him moved. Naruto tried to jump to his feet out of panic, but immediately discovered he'd twisted his ankle. The sharp pain brought him to his knees again. Beneath him was another man—Asian, dark hair, dressed in a black t-shirt and jeans—but he appeared to be unconscious. Naruto, latching onto his shoulder, held an ear above the man's lips, listening for his breath. It wasn't long before he received a push to the chest that sent him back on his ass.

"Fucking heavy," said the man. "Get _off_ of me."

Naruto stared at him, completely confused.

"W-what did you _do_?" He nearly screamed at him.

"What do you mean 'what did I do'?" The man barked back.

"You could've died!" Naruto wailed and pointed at the ledge. "I could've accidentally pulled you over with me!"

"Well wouldn't that have been romantic," the man replied, rubbing his chin.

"It's not funny," Naruto's heart beat wildly. "Y-you really could've died!"

"What are you getting so worked up for?" The man, slowly, pulled himself to sit cross-legged on the ground. "I only came out here to smoke, and _your_ ass was hanging over the ledge."

"Maybe you should mind your own business."

"Maybe you should've picked a better spot to jump. There are people in this building, you realize? Anyone could've come out here, so clearly you were expecting someone to save you."

"Wow." Naruto was so stunned by the stranger's arrogance he was speechless.

"Am I wrong?"

"Uh, _yeah_." Naruto tried to move up onto one knee, but the other leg—with the twisted ankle—kept buckling under him. Still, he rose to his feet, but not without wincing. "You don't know me. Don't know _anything_ about me, asshole!"

"Fine," said the other man. "Performance issues? Can't do it with an audience?"

"What?"

"I won't stop you if you're determined. Go for it. Jump. That's what you were intending to do, right?"

"Yeah, but," Naruto's eyes were wide and searching, "It—It—Suicide should be a fucking private moment, alright? Jesus! How the hell can I jump if you're here? Are you going to call the police?"

"Left my phone in my office," the man replied. "Kept going off every few minutes."

Naruto raised an eyebrow. "You work here?"

"Obviously. And you?"

"I…" Naruto looked toward the ledge, then at the stranger. "I used to."

The man gave a curt nod. "I see."

"See what?" He snapped.

The bastard simply shrugged.

"Tch." Naruto squinted at him, trying to determine whether he was mental. "What department?"

"Excuse me?"

"What department do you work in, jackass?"

The man didn't answer. Instead, he pulled out a pack of cigarettes, stuck one between his lips and, apparently taking a moment to think about it, offered Naruto one, too.

"I don't smoke," Naruto told him.

"Yeah," the man drawled while plastering on a smirk. "I hear smoking causes cancer, and that can _kill_ you."

"This is funny to you?"

"I guess, yeah. Kind of."

Taking out a lighter, he lit the end of his cigarette, took a puff, and turned his head away while letting out a ring of smoke. Naruto eyed him closely, trying to recall if he'd ever seen him in the building before, but it was a big building with a lot of different departments and firms. They could've both worked in this building for decades and never bumped into one another.

"Do you have a name?" Naruto asked, but wasn't expecting to receive an answer.

"Sasuke."

"Uh—oh. I wasn't expectin' you to tell me that."

"Then why did you ask?"

"I… don't know. Seemed the polite thing to do."

Sasuke snorted, rubbing at his chin again.

"Sorry about that," said Naruto, staring. "I guess my head bumped your chin as we fell. You're probably gonna have a bruise."

"I'll tell people I got into a bar fight over the weekend."

"Wow, will they believe that?"

"No, but people I hang around with know better than to ask stupid, invasive questions."

"Yeah," he said sarcastically. "You sound like you have tons of friends."

"Says the guy about to jump off a building and kill himself."

"Aah—" Naruto tried to muster some indignant rage, but he saw his point. "Shut up."

"Amazing comeback. Is this how you treat all your saviors?"

"Are you always this arrogant?" Naruto shot back. "You're not my savior. Like I said, you should've just minded your own goddam business instead of butting into my shit."

Sasuke stared up at him, taking another slow drag of his cigarette. Then he pointed toward the ledge. "Will it help if I close my eyes? You can pretend I'm not even here."

"Don't be stupid."

"I'll leave that to you. You seem to be an expert at it."

"Why you—" Naruto took a step forward, about to grab him by the shoulder, but then he stopped. Instead, he reached out his hand and waited.

Sasuke stared at it like it was rotting and infected with gangrene.

"Take it," Naruto insisted. "At least let me help you to your feet? Or did you hurt yourself?"

"I didn't hurt myself," Sasuke replied. "You're the one who fell on top of me like an oaf."

"And you're the one who pulled me back!"

"If I'd shouted out at you, you might've accidentally fallen."

"You would've done me a favor," he mumbled, shaking his hand at him. "Just fuckin' take it already. You look like a fool sitting down there on the ground."

Again, Sasuke blinked at him.

"What?"

Sasuke, slapping his hand away, got to his feet with a little effort. Naruto kept staring, trying to determine if he was hurt, but only noticed a scratch on the back of his hand and the bruise now forming on his chin and jaw where Naruto's hard skull had smacked into him. The embarrassment of the situation finally hit him, and Naruto grimaced. What should he do now? Technically Sasuke could report him to the police for trespassing or whatever else. Maybe even assault for all he knew, and he'd had this plan to fucking die today and now it was like… Weird to continue. Should he find another building? Do it another day? Try another method?

"Well," said Sasuke as he dropped his cigarette on the ground and stamped it out. "I'm going back to my office. Good luck—" He narrowed his eyes. "Nameless blond idiot."

" _God_ , that smirk of yours is annoying," Naruto said, not exactly having meant to speak it aloud.

"Are you… for real?" Sasuke asked. "You seriously come up here to kill yourself, I pull you back in, and you just insult me as if we know each other? Are you mentally disturbed? Should I call your guardian? Perhaps you have a medical bracelet on you, an address I can return you to?"

"I'm not a dog!" Naruto crossed his arms to his chest. "How the hell am I supposed to know what to do next? I've never tried killin' myself before, and I certainly didn't expect some jackass to walk out at the exact moment I was gonna jump and pull on my belt and hug me to the ground."

"Hug you?"

"Tackle, hug. Whatever. Either way, I felt sexually harassed, so go back to your office already."

"Definitely mental," Sasuke mumbled. "Alright then." He turned his back to Naruto and gave an odd and infuriating backward wave. "Try not to screw it up this time, idiot."

"The—You… you _bastard_!" Naruto ran up to him, grabbed his shoulder, and spun him around. "Maybe if people were a little more sensitive when other people are clearly goin' through shit, we all wouldn't be jumpin' off rooftops in order to die and escape it all!"

"Sensitive?" Sasuke's expression darkened. "Why? Because you can't handle your shit? Some of us can. Some of us go through a lot and don't take the easy way out. That's why I'm not stopping you. It's better for the rest of us. Those of us who can and _have_ toughed it out."

"You think you're better than me?" Naruto snarled. "Think you've been through more than me? You don't even know me!"

"Yet you seem to think your life is harder than mine just because I'm not throwing myself off of a ledge."

"Whatever." Naruto gave him a push. "Fuck off. Go back to your office. Hopefully you have a window on this side so you can watch me pass as I go down."

"I do," said Sasuke. "And I look forward to it."

"Asshole."

"Idiot."

Frustrated enough that he wanted to punch that goddam smirk off Sasuke's face, Naruto could only stand there with his hands pulled into tight fists.

"I hate you," he spat childishly.

"Good for you."

Sasuke, turning his back to him again, walked away. He opened the rooftop door and slammed it shut. Naruto stood there in disbelief, seething in anger. Good God he'd never wanted to punch someone so badly, and he'd punched his fair share of people. Even as a kid he'd gotten into a lot of fights. He'd been bullied for being short for his age, but that didn't stop him from taking on much bigger guys. Naruto definitely knew how to fight, and Sasuke… he was just so, so…

Fucking smug.

Letting out a frustrated sigh, Naruto gave one last glance of longing at the ledge before jogging toward the door.

Before he offed himself, he wanted to make sure Sasuke knew exactly how he felt, otherwise he'd be stuck haunting this building forever because of some stupid unresolved issues involving a nosy bastard who had all the sensitivity of a teaspoon.

* * *

TBC

As any artist does, I use writing to work through stuff, but I'd like to say that if you have depression or thoughts of suicide, please reach out to people in your circle, professionals, or call/text a hotline. Just reach out to anybody. Don't give up :)


	2. Chapter 2

_Part 2_

Naruto only managed to make it down the hallway in time to watch the elevator doors shut. He kept an eye on its final destination. When it stopped on the 21st floor, Naruto entered the second elevator. He felt a mix of emotions, anger and confusion being the two most obvious. It was weird to him, to think that he should've been dead at this moment instead of chasing down some self-righteous _stranger_ who'd fucked up all of his plans.

Shit.

He'd left a note and everything at his apartment, too. Well, crap. He lived with a couple of roommates, neither of which he knew very well, but he figured at least one of them would've entered his room after a few days of him being missing or if the cops came in after he—

Well. Would they have been able to identify him after a fall from that height?

The elevator doors opened with a ding, and Naruto was on the 21st floor. Funny, in all his time here, he'd hardly ever been to the IT department. The lights were mostly off save two offices. The first office he passed, there was no one sitting in the desk, but when he reached the end of the hall, he could only see the back of the man's head. It looked an awful lot like the bastard from earlier since he had that distinct haircut. Naruto knocked on the open door and waited.

Sasuke, who'd been working on his desktop, slowly turned his head around and, upon seeing him, gave him a very non-plussed reaction, which pissed Naruto off even more.

"The windows in my office don't open," said Sasuke. "So I wouldn't recommend trying to jump out one."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Hilarious."

He glanced around the small office, mostly plain and devoid of personality except a Marvel calendar on one of the walls. Naruto also checked out the plaque on Sasuke's door: IT Support Specialist. Sasuke Uchiha.

"Support Specialist," Naruto spoke aloud and, shaking his head, looked back at Sasuke. "Makes you sound like a grief counselor for people who don't know how to use technology."

"I guess you could say it's a little like that. When people are too stupid to handle a computer, I come in and fix it or tell them what to do about it. Just like when people are incapable of handling their own emotions and decide to ruin someone's day by jumping off a roof."

"Ah—" Naruto was about to yell when it occurred to him what part of that he could latch onto instead. "So I ruined your day? Good." He crossed his arms. "That makes us even."

Sasuke narrowed his eyes. "I ruined your day by saving your life?"

Naruto shrugged and stepped into the office uninvited. He went over to the calendar, noted a couple of scribbles on various dates and flipped through the pages.

"So, you like Marvel, huh?" He asked. "Are you a comic book nerd?"

"I'm fairly sure you already know I won't respond to that question."

"That _was_ a response," he couldn't help but point out, glancing over.

Sasuke turned around and went back to work.

"I read the comics as a kid, yes," Sasuke answered.

Naruto stared a little closer when he came to the Deadpool-themed page for the month of July.

"Heh, I liked this movie." There were several X'd out dates at the month. "Looks like you've got some vacation comin' up in July. That's exciting. Y'know, I never saw you around when I worked here. I mean, I'm sure we used IT, but… if I did, I don't remember you comin' up."

"I haven't been here especially long," Sasuke replied. "Do you mind not going through my things?"

Naruto went over to the window and pressed his hand against the glass, smudging it with his sweaty palm. "Well, you kinda butt into my life, so I figured I'd return the favor."

"Is this the part where I ask you if you're 'okay'?" Sasuke turned around again, giving Naruto his full attention now.

For a second, Naruto almost would've believed he looked sympathetic. But he knew better.

"I…" He thought of giving a sarcastic retort, but lost the will to banter when he held his hand out in front of him and saw it shaking, "I guess I feel weird."

"Weird? Do you… have someone you should call? Would you like me to call—"

"No," he said. "I'm fine. I mean… I'm fine with not calling anyone."

Sasuke stared; Naruto began to get uncomfortable and fidgeted. He turned his back to Sasuke and stared out the window.

"Why are you workin' on the weekend?" Naruto asked. "On call or somethin'?"

"I am. I was. I came in to fix something. Finished and went up for a smoke. You know the rest."

Watching his reflection in the glass, Naruto noticed a tear welling in the corner of one eye. His lips began to quiver, but he dug his teeth into one and waited until the feeling went away. There was an urge to go up to the roof again. He was tempted. To make an excuse, to leave this office, and retrace his steps back to the elevator. But there was also something embarrassing about it, or what if Sasuke gave chase and Naruto ended up looking like he was only doing it for attention? Was he doing it for the attention? No… he didn't think so. He'd picked that spot because he knew no one would ever come out there. He just got unlucky.

A tap on the shoulder caused him to jump. He spun around just as Sasuke was letting his arm fall to his side, an eyebrow raised. They were close, close enough for him to briefly take in some of the man's features, having not really done so before other than to briefly conclude Asian, pale, trendy emo haircut, and piercing dark eyes. It was the eyes that caught him off guard. It was cliche, but they were the kind of eyes that… well, gave him the creeps because it felt like Sasuke was looking right through him.

"Haven't you ever heard of personal space?" Naruto joked, but his voice sounded strange, and he knew it and he knew that Sasuke knew it.

"I'm not usually one to repeat myself. I'm not a terribly sympathetic person in general, but I will ask again, even though the answer is obvious: Are you okay?"

"Yeah, I'm… " Naruto, unable to stop himself, began to cry. "I-I'm...f-fine."

He stood there, a grown man, crying in front of another grown man. It was pathetic and sad, for sure. It made him feel worse, but it also meant something that Sasuke stood there. That anyone at all was there, listening to him, and asking if he was okay. When had that happened last? He couldn't recall. In fact, he'd begun to wonder if he was a ghost in this life, moving past everybody but with no one ever seeing him.

"I can leave," Sasuke offered. "If you want a ride home. Or, I suppose in these situations a person shouldn't be left alone. You can stay here until I wrap things up."

"I'm fine," he repeated, rubbing at his eyes and forcing a smile.

"That looks grotesque," Sasuke remarked, and Naruto actually laughed.

"My smile is grotesque to you?" He croaked.

"It is." Sasuke nodded, a nearly imperceptible lift to the corner of his mouth.

"God, you're weird," said Naruto. "Like the weirdest person I've ever met, and this is LA."

Sasuke frowned. "I don't think that's true."

"It is, though. You're totally weird." Naruto gave him a light punch in the shoulder.

Sasuke glared. "You realize how fucked up this all is, right?"

"Kinda." Naruto scrunched his nose, pulled a face, and nodded. "Yeah. Yeah, I see it."

"So, what do you want to do?"

"Me?"

"No, the ghost behind you. Yes, you."

Naruto's eyes widened. "Ghost…? Heh… no. I'm… maybe I'm in shock?"

"Maybe I am, too." Sasuke shrugged his shoulders up and then stuck his hands inside the pockets of his khakis. "I don't… know what to do in this situation."

"Uh." Naruto bit his lip again. "I… yeah, I guess this is sorta awkward for you? I could get out of your hair. I don't know what to do next either. I… left a note. I should… I'm not sure."

"Are you sure you don't have someone you want to call?"

"No." He shook his head. "I have… an ex, but yeah, she won't care. No one else I can think of. I have roommates, but I only just moved in a few weeks ago. They're hardly there."

Sasuke's already thin lips thinned even further. He scratched the back of his head, looked at his computer, then at Naruto.

"Do you want to get a drink? I don't have plans. The only one waiting home for me is a fish."

"A fish?" Naruto asked. "Seriously?"

"My brother gave it to me," Sasuke mumbled. "Inside joke."

"Ah… hah. Kinda makes me hungry for sushi."

"You want to eat?"

"I… yeah. I guess… I'm hungry."

"I know a place," Sasuke offered. "In Little Tokyo."

"Well, yeah," he said. "Everyone knows a sushi place in Little Tokyo."

Sasuke glared.

"Heh. Sorry… I mean, yeah. Sounds good. If you don't mind? If this isn't weird…?"

"We already decided it's weird," Sasuke replied. "It's fine. I'll let you… talk."

"We don't have to," Naruto argued. "I can—"

"Stop waffling," said Sasuke.

He walked over to his computer, turned it off, and grabbed the light jacket he'd thrown over the back of his seat.

"Taking an Uber okay?" Sasuke asked.

"Sure." Naruto watched him as he turned off his desk light and unplugged some things. "This is… probably one of the nicest things anyone's ever done for me… and you… you don't even know me."

Sasuke, finished with his tidying, looked up at him. "I wouldn't think too much on it."

"Easy for you to say," he mumbled.

The other man headed for the door, where he held his fingers on the light switch. "Well, are you coming? There's likely to be a wait."

"Yeah, no. I'm… yeah, I'm comin'."

With one last glance out the window, Naruto walked toward the door and waited for Sasuke to turn the office light off before following him to the elevator.

* * *

After going to Sasuke's choice of sushi place and discovering the wait would be two hours, they ended up at Kura Revolving Sushi bar since the wait for two people was 30 minutes. It was awkward at first given, well, the obvious, but also there wasn't much conversation between them. Naruto had been to Little Tokyo too many times to count, and there was minimal to do except browse the various shops or grab a bench and people watch.

"Maybe we should've done ramen," Naruto mumbled when they'd taken a seat on a bench near an ice cream shop.

"The wait for those places is even worse," Sasuke replied, watching the crowd of young Asian teenagers hanging out in front of them. "Why? Are you in a hurry to jump off another building?"

He looked over at Naruto, who sat on his right side.

"How long are you gonna joke about it?"

"I'm not sure," Sasuke admitted. "It depends."

"On?"

The other man shrugged.

Naruto cracked his knuckles, gazing down at his hands in his lap, and trying to figure out what the fuck was going on inside his head. He should be dead by now, but he wasn't. He was with a perfect stranger, and that stranger had not only seen what he was about to do but was now sitting beside him while they were waiting to eat dinner together. It was both bizarre and pathetic in his eyes, and so he became uncomfortable. When he got uncomfortable, he either would start talking non-stop or shut down and go completely quiet. The latter was happening now.

Ten minutes must've gone by in complete silence.

"Maybe this isn't such a good idea," he said.

"Which part?" Sasuke asked and cleared his throat. "Eating…?"

"No. Just, this. Like, what's the point? What are we doing?"

"At the very basic level, even I have the awareness that you shouldn't be alone. I can't force you to call anyone, but since I don't have plans, I don't see what the problem is."

"You don't see what the problem is?" Naruto asked pointedly.

"I'm not stupid," Sasuke replied, his brow pinching and furrowing. "I'm clearly aware of the situation and what happened, but what do you want me to do? If you want to go, you can."

"So I should go?"

"You're an adult. You can do what you want."

Naruto threw his hands up in the air. "Why are you even doin' this if you're clearly put out about bein' here? Like, I dunno what to do either. I'd planned to go through with it, so now I don't know what the fuck to do."

He'd become so loud that a few people looked his way after he cursed.

"Sorry." Naruto scratched his cheek. "I just… I'm really confused."

"That's fine," Sasuke replied. "But, no point in worrying about it right now. We're doing something as simple as waiting for food. We're going to eat. You can talk if you want to. I can listen or pretend to. It's the best I can offer."

"Yeah, I can definitely tell you work in IT."

Sasuke's eyebrow went up.

"So, when people call," said Naruto. "Do you just tell them to try turning it off and then on again?"

"I know you think you're being funny, but that is the transcript for nearly 80% of my calls. The rest are a lot of aged administrative assistants who don't know how to attach documents to emails."

"Oh man, how'd they even get a job then?" Naruto wondered.

"It's a valid question," Sasuke agreed.

"I haven't seen you before. Have you been there long? Working in that building?"

"Not especially, no. About six months. You?"

"Too long," he replied. "I should've quit, like, five years ago."

"How old _are_ you?" Sasuke asked.

"Twenty-eight. Why?"

"Hm. Just how long have you been working here? Since you graduated from college?"

"I didn't go to college," Naruto replied. "Started in the mailroom, worked my way up to middle-management, but my bosses were assholes, and their bosses were assholes."

"I see."

"I take it you did. I mean. IT, that means you must be pretty smart, huh?"

"I went to college," Sasuke answered. "Intelligence is all relative."

"What? You mean like emotional IQ? Because… yeah."

"You keep saying things like that as if I didn't pull you back off that ledge."

Naruto's mouth became a small, flat line.

"Am I wrong?" Sasuke asked. "My emotional IQ may be low, but it's not non-existent."

"Yeah… sorry. I'm working through some stuff if you can't tell."

"It's fine," Sasuke said and sighed. "My brother gives it to me far worse than an idiot like you ever could."

"The same brother who gave you that calendar, or do you have another?"

"No." Sasuke checked his phone. "Only one brother, and that's enough for me."

Naruto wanted to ask about his parents, but considering he didn't have any, he always felt hesitant about assuming anything about people's family structure.

"Our table's ready," Sasuke announced.

He got up; Naruto followed. They went inside the restaurant, and the female hostess quickly guided them to a booth on the far side of the room. She seemed frazzled, but smiled politely as she took their drink orders. Sasuke ordered a water, and Naruto got a Diet Coke.

"I haven't been before," Naruto said. "This is fun, though."

He watched all the various small sushi plates as they passed their table on the conveyor belt.

"Is there a trick to openin' them."

"It's like the hostess said, just pop it up here." Sasuke demonstrated by tapping up the plastic lid and grabbing the plate. He'd picked out a pair of garlic ponzu salmon nigiri.

"That looks good," he commented, mouth watering already.

Sasuke pushed it over to his side of the table. "You can have it."

"Huh? You don't have to."

"It's fine. There's plenty more. I wouldn't want you to be embarrass yourself by not being able to get the lid open, so I'll help you save face."

"Well, it's a little too late for that," Naruto replied without thinking.

Sasuke stared at him; Naruto stared back. He ended up laughing, and Sasuke smirked as he grabbed two pair of chopsticks. After removing the wrapper, Naruto poured some soy sauce into the tiny plate the hostess had left. He also plopped a dollop of wasabi on the edge, too.

"You must like wasabi," Sasuke commented.

"I do." Naruto shoveled the first piece of sushi into his mouth. "Mmm. So frickin' good."

"It's not quality or anything, but it'll do."

"It's fun kinda. I like the concept." He stared at the monitor above their table. "And you can pick stuff off the menu, too?"

"You can. It'll come straight to you. It's probably fresher that way."

"Hm. We could try somethin' else if you wanted."

"I'm fine for now, thanks." Sasuke had picked out another plate by then, and the hostess had returned with their drinks.

For 30 minutes, they ate until Naruto felt like his stomach was going to blow up. Talking consisted mostly of what looked good, what Sasuke had tried, what Naruto tried and thought was good or bad. They ordered a couple of things off the menu. The banter was light, which Naruto appreciated. He'd been anxious before they'd sat down, and now he felt more calm.

Sasuke was kind of an arrogant smartass, but he also had a great sense of humor. By great, Naruto meant a little morbid and dark. He was clearly smart as hell, but he didn't lorde it over Naruto. Usually if he told someone he didn't go to college, they'd look down on him right away. The other man did bring up his brother a fair amount; however, Naruto couldn't determine if Sasuke hated his guts or they were ridiculously close. He didn't have any siblings, so he wasn't entirely sure how those types of relationships worked. Close male friendships, sure. He'd had those from time to time, but Naruto couldn't say he had a clear best friend or anything. Actually, he didn't think he had any real close friends, hence the whole jumping thing. Naruto noted, too, Sasuke didn't ask him a lot of personal questions. Hell, Sasuke didn't ever even ask his name. Naruto had to give it to him on their Uber drive over here. Hard to say if it was because Sasuke was socially inept or being considerate. Naruto would guess the former. Not to say Sasuke didn't display some civilities. He carefully explained stuff when Naruto asked, but maybe that was the result of his line of work. Work, they didn't talk much about. Naruto felt hesitant in revealing the names of his bosses or the department or floor he'd worked on. He wasn't usually paranoid by nature, but if word got around that he'd tried to jump off the roof of his work building, he imagined things might get messy. Especially since he'd used his ID to get in in the first place.

"You don't like it?"

Naruto had been staring into space for about five minutes.

"N-no, I like it." He gave a half grin. "Got lost in thought, I guess."

"So I noticed."

"I have to admit I'm gettin' kinda full."

"No dessert?"

"Nah, I'm good."

Sasuke hit the button on the monitor that called their waiter back to them and, after he arrived, asked for the bill. When the waiter returned with it, Naruto had been in the process of retrieving his wallet, but Sasuke quickly claimed it and offered to pay.

"You don't have to do that," he argued, trying to grab for it.

"It's fine. You didn't eat near as much as I expected you to." Sasuke set his card on the tray and left it at the edge of the table.

"Do I look that out of shape?" He gave a glance down at himself despite knowing his physique very well. Naruto wasn't a gym rat, but he did work out frequently. Definitely ran a lot. It was about the only thing he could do that helped to clear his thoughts.

"You look fine," said Sasuke, "But you also look like someone who eats like a glutton."

"Tch. I dunno how you can determine that by the way I look if I'm also fit."

The other man shrugged. "Just a guess."

"Hm." Crossing his arms, Naruto tilted his head to the side, observing him.

"What?"

"How are you able to tell somethin' like that just by lookin' at someone? I'm not sayin' you're wrong. You're not the first person to tell me I eat like a pig, but just curious."

"You seem sensitive about this subject." Sasuke grabbed his water and sipped.

"Only curious about you. Plus it's always interesting when people make assumptions. I'm not good at that. I mean, I feel I have a good sense for people, but I also miss a lot of things. My ex would tell me that a lot. Tell me I'm completely oblivious, but aren't most guys?"

"Not all guys, no," said Sasuke. "But dealing with women is something different entirely."

"Oh, so are you married? Have a girlfriend?" He cracked a smirk. "Boyfriend?"

"Like that would be any of your business, but," Sasuke held out his hand. "There is no ring on these fingers, so I can at least atest to not being married."

"Yeah, I'd have to say that person would need to be a saint."

"I don't doubt that you're correct."

Naruto snickered. "This is probably the closest to a date I've had in… dunno. Long time. Or, not a date, but goin' out. You know what I mean."

"I do." Sasuke nodded, or, rather, just lowered his chin briefly. "That would make it one of the strangest dates I've ever been on, but I certainly can't say you're boring or predictable."

"Heh. Thanks, I think?"

When the waiter returned, Sasuke signed the receipt. Naruto wanted to leave a tip at least, but was thwarted again. He almost didn't want to get up and go. This had been relaxing, and as they started talking, he'd mostly forgotten about what had happened earlier. Well, not really. Hard to put that out of his head, but his anxiety had lessened, and now he was terrified that as soon as he walked out the door, it would hit him like a tidal wave all over again.

"You alright?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto shook his head. "Sorry, I did it again."

"Yeah, you went pale."

"Sorry."

"No need to apologize," said Sasuke. "My calendar, as you observed earlier, is free. We can go for a walk. You said you were full, which is unfortunate, because there's a decent taiyaki place not far from here."

"Taiyaki?"

"Ice cream in a baked dessert that looks like a fish."

"Oh… hm. Is it any good?"

"I'm not big on sweets, but I've taken my niece."

"Oh, you have a niece? Your brother's married?"

"Not married, no," Sasuke answered. "But he has a daughter. She's 10."

"That's cool. Interesting to think of you as a babysitter, but yeah I guess you're kinda doin' that now, eh?"

"Surprised you'd say that," Sasuke commented.

"Why's that?"

The other man shrugged. Naruto needed to get to the bottom of why that was his favorite gesture to use on him. Sasuke wasn't a person who was big on elaboration.

"I guess my schedule is clear, too."

"I suppose the other option is you can come to my apartment, but I'm not sure how smart it is to invite a complete stranger to my home."

"No, I couldn't put you out like that. Nah. I'll be fine. In fact, I can figure out somewhere to go, or even go home. Maybe get to that note before anyone finds it. I'd be surprised if anyone did for a few days. Maybe even a week? I'm not sure. No one's even texted me today, but that's not new."

"I wish I could say the same," said Sasuke. "My phone's been ringing off the hook."

"A little different, but yeah."

"Well?"

"I don't know."

"I can be decisive when the mood calls. I'll take you to the Taiyaki shop. You can decide if you want one, and then you can hang around my apartment. I have some work to do, but there are video games, a TV. Something to keep yourself entertained."

"Oi." They were getting up and walking toward the exit. "Do you have any comics? Like you were talkin' about earlier?"

"I do." Sasuke held the door open for him. "But I'm not going to let you near them with your sticky ice cream fingers."

"Oh, man. I know how to _wash my hands_. Come on. I wanna see your collection. Or are they all in plastic? Do you have limited edition ones I can steal and sell for millions?"

"Maybe this wasn't such a good idea," Sasuke murmured.

"I'm only kiddin'. Video games… sound good. I do that a lot at my place."

"I told you I make an excellent babysitter."

"You didn't _really_ tell me. Probably the type to just sit a kid down in front of a TV."

"You don't want to?" Sasuke asked, leading them down the block.

"No. I do. I can entertain myself while you work. Feels kinda silly, but I don't think you're wrong. Maybe I shouldn't be alone. I don't really know _what_ I need. Is this really okay?"

"I can't think of a reason why it's a huge problem," Sasuke confessed. "I think you should relax before we discuss any of the bigger questions."

"Ah." Naruto's cheeks flushed. "Yeah."

"Don't think about it yet," Sasuke advised him when they were at a corner, waiting for the walk signal. "One step at a time."

"One step at a time, hm?" Naruto stuffed his hands into his pockets. "Kinda hard to shut my brain off."

"I'd think it'd be very easy," Sasuke remarked, turning to him while wearing an irritatingly smug smirk. "Since your brain runs on such low power as it is."

"Well, sorry I didn't go to college."

Sasuke frowned. "It's a joke. It has nothing to do with that anyway. Sorry my humor is so awkward. I don't know what else I'm supposed to do here."

"Uh… nothing," Naruto told him. "You've done… more than anyone has for me in a long time. Sorry. I don't mean to sound ungrateful, and… I guess laughin' about it makes it all feel less shitty."

"I was going for that," Sasuke replied. "Just so you know. But this is also… how I am. Or so my brother likes to tell me."

"Wow, you sound like you really have a brother complex. I kinda want to know more about this guy that has you so under his thumb."

"He doesn't have me _under his thumb_ ," Sasuke retorted stiffly, telling him he'd hit a nerve. "He's just a sadist with a personality more warped than my own."

"Now _that's_ hard to imagine."

"Jackass," said Sasuke.

"Jerk."

But Naruto was smiling. "Ah. Now ice cream suddenly sounds so good!"

"Figures your tastes would be similar to that of a child's."

"Everyone likes ice cream, Sasuke. Not just children."

"You know what? I'm beginning to regret pulling you off that ledge right about now."

Shocked at first, Naruto stopped only to bark out a laugh. "Harsh, man!"

"Hn."

"Dick."

"Don't forget to wash your hands."

"Whatever," he said. "M'gonna touch your comic books all over."

"Perfect," Sasuke replied dryly. "Maybe your next suicide attempt can be death by papercut."

* * *

TBC

a/n: ...Three-shot? I'll just stop trying to guess how long fics will run.


	3. Chapter 3

_Part 3_

Before they even entered the apartment, Sasuke used an app on his phone to turn a light on inside. They'd taken a bus to Hollywood, where Sasuke lived in some fancy historic apartment complex that was only a few blocks north of the Walk of Fame.

"I dunno why, but I'm kinda surprised you live in Hollywood," Naruto commented as he followed Sasuke into a very clean and spartan studio apartment.

It wasn't the smallest studio he'd ever seen in LA. In fact, it might as well have been a one-bedroom since there was an alcove for a bed (it just had no door), and the doorway was rather wide. There was a Japanese-looking sliding door attached to the closet. The living space wasn't anything special, but Naruto thought it rather comfortable already. There was a black leather couch with some red throw pillows, a red TV console, black coffee table, and a couple of lamps. The walls were white except the one behind the couch, which was red brick. It had a fairly wide window, too, that looked down on the street. They were only three flights up. No fish in sight yet, but maybe it was hiding in the bedroom along with Sasuke's comic book collection.

"It's a fairly affordable area and close to work," Sasuke replied. "It's not as bad as you'd think."

"I guess I don't have much of an opinion. I live in Inglewood."

"With two roommates," Sasuke responded before disappearing into the kitchen.

While the other man was out of sight, Naruto nosed about, but there was nothing to get into, and he wasn't going to go snooping through another man's bedroom. He decided to follow Sasuke into the kitchen, where he found him sorting through the mail they'd picked up downstairs.

"Do you want anything to drink?" Sasuke asked. "Help yourself to the fridge. There's water, soda, beer, though I'd advise against you drinking alcohol."

Naruto raised an eyebrow at the mother hen speech, but couldn't disagree. He opened the refrigerator, which did have a couple of photos on it, and grabbed a water.

"Did you want anything?" He offered.

"I'm fine," said Sasuke. "For now."

While he was ripping open an envelope, Naruto shut the fridge door and glanced at the two photos being held up by magnets from Tucson, Arizona, and Buffalo, New York.

"You like to travel much?" Naruto asked.

Sasuke looked over at him. "My brother bought those on some work-related trips. There used to be more, but I cleared them out. He thinks it's funny to buy me souvenirs wherever he goes."

"I think that's kinda nice."

"You wouldn't think so if you were sent a package filled with over 100 magnets, shot glasses, cheap picture frames, keychains, and change purses."

"Man. What is _wrong_ with your brother?"

"The jury's still out," Sasuke answered and tossed the mail into a basket next to the microwave. "Well, I have some work to do, but you're welcome to watch TV or, like I said, video games."

"Heh, okay. I mean. If you don't think I'll bother you."

"I'll put on headphones if you get too loud."

"I'll be quiet," Naruto replied, almost defensively. "It's not some high-tech set up, is it?"

"I think even you can manage it," said Sasuke. "But I'll get it started. Everything's on one tablet. It controls the TV, consoles, lights, air conditioning."

"Oh, wow. The perks of livin' alone, I guess. And knowin' about gadgets."

Sasuke shrugged. He passed by Naruto and went over to the TV, opened the cabinet below it, and pulled out a tablet. He switched it on, tapped a few buttons, and everything lit up.

"Pretty cool," said Naruto.

Sasuke gave him some brief instructions on how to use it, but it was pretty self-explanatory and well-labeled. Left alone, he set his bottle on a coaster since they were there, and because he thought Sasuke might be the OCD-type given the antiseptic state of his apartment. It was the first time he'd been alone since the rooftop, not that Sasuke was more than 10 feet away. He set the TV to some random channel for now and kept the volume low. But then he began to think, too much. That feeling hadn't disappeared just because Sasuke had pulled him back from the ledge. Some might call Sasuke a hero, but is that what Naruto thought? There'd been reasons he'd wanted to end his life, and all the situation tonight did was delay an outcome Naruto had deliberated on for well over a month before finally attempting it. People who'd known him as a kid would've never suspected him of being suicidal. He couldn't say his childhood had been amazing; rather, it had been traumatic. Yet, he'd always adopted a happy-go-lucky type of attitude to either hide the pain he felt inside, or to dissuade others from digging too deep. When he'd first started to feel depressed, he knew it wasn't right. He'd reached out to the few friends he'd had, including his ex-girlfriend. No one took him seriously, and all that told him was that in his 28 years of life, he hadn't formed the type of connections that mattered. No one cared.

Alone in his room one night, early in the morning hours, he'd even tried some suicide text hotline—they put him on hold, long enough that he gave up and figured, once again, that no one gave a shit. If a suicide hotline didn't give a fuck, he figured his number was up. As a person who believed in signs, all of the ones he'd experienced as of late pointed in one direction.

A light beading of sweat broke out on his skin, particularly his cheeks and forehead. It suddenly felt humid despite the air conditioning being set to 75 degrees. Naruto tried to focus on the TV program, but his concentration had deteriorated so much he couldn't follow the plot or the conversation happening between the two people on screen. The clothes he wore were making his skin itch. As the events of tonight fully hit him, he started going into full-blown panic mode. All he wanted to do was get up quietly, so that Sasuke wouldn't notice, and bolt out of his apartment. To where? He didn't know. What was next for him?

If he left, could he try throwing himself in front of traffic or a train? Is that what he still wanted? What was the point if no one cared? The only person who'd attempted any kind of intervention was a complete stranger, a grumpy and strange one at that. He hesitated at first, caught in indecision, and then slowly rose from the couch. He left the TV on since it would drown out the sound of him leaving. As he made his way across the living room, he knew he'd have to pass by Sasuke's bedroom. Naruto had walked toward the door, his hand on the knob, when all of a sudden his body moved of its own accord. He turned right, took a few steps forward, and stood in the entrance to the bedroom. It wasn't more than a handful of seconds before Sasuke noticed him standing there. The other man removed his headphones, glancing his way.

"Everything okay?" Sasuke's gaze was cautious as it roved over him, head to toe.

"...No?" Naruto's voice cracked.

"What's wrong?" Sasuke turned the swivel chair so that he was facing him.

"I…" Naruto's gaze went a little frantic, bouncing all over the room. "I don't… know?"

"What can I do?"

"I… honestly… have no idea, Sasuke… but… I think… I need real help."

"Should I take you to the hospital? Do you think you'll hurt yourself?"

"I…" Naruto, heart beating fast, held his hand over it. "I can't stop thinking… about doing somethin'... I just want these thoughts to stop? I don't… know how to make them stop."

"Naruto, if it's that serious you should—"

"No!" Naruto shouted, without having meant to. "No," he said more softly this time. "I…"

He watched Sasuke shut off the computer. It made him feel guilty.

"No, don't," Naruto insisted. "I didn't mean to fuck up your night. I'll just go back to my apartment."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "Like I believe that. It's fine, Naruto."

Naruto's eyes narrowed; it was the first time Sasuke had addressed him by name.

"I'm not saying I understand your particular situation or thoughts," Sasuke continued, "But I do have experience with mental illness. You aren't a bother or a burden. I have the time to sit and listen to you, and you're welcome to stay here as long as you need."

Naruto stared at him and took in a deep breath before asking: " _Why_?"

"It's the right thing to do, isn't it?" Sasuke stood and came around the bed. "It's not guilt or anything nefarious. Do you really want to go?"

"I—" Naruto didn't know what to say. "No. I… don't think I should."

"Okay then."

"But—"

"It'll help if we can find something to distract you, or if you're ready to talk about it, we can sit down and have that conversation. That is, if you want to share it with me."

"Heh… you…" Naruto scratched the back of his neck. "Almost sound like a therapist."

"My mother and father were both psychiatrists."

" _Were_?" He asked, but cringed since he instantly regretted asking.

"It's... just myself and my brother now," Sasuke answered.

"Oh." Anxious, Naruto wet his lips. "I'm sorry to hear about that, Sasuke. Really."

Sasuke waved it away. "You don't have to worry about it. Do you want some coffee?"

"Uh. I wonder if caffeine would be good, but water is fine. I still have that one you gave me. No, maybe coffee?"

"I'll make a pot, and you can decide later if you want any."

"Okay." Frowning, he scratched one of his cheeks. "Sorry for being indecisive."

"You don't need to keep apologizing. Now, let's go in the other room, and we can talk. If you don't want to go home, you can have my bed, and I'll take the sofa."

"I couldn't—"

"Naruto." Sasuke's voice was firm, authoritative, so he shut up. "Stop worrying about inconveniencing me. I want to hear about it; I want to help if I can. It's fine. I promise."

Naruto, eyes stinging, slowly nodded in answer. Before he could embarrass himself by crying, Sasuke walked away. He stood a moment, glancing at nothing in particular and only a few seconds away from an apparent mental breakdown. Was it worse to have persistent depressing thoughts or the overwhelming feelings that came from someone being willing to listen? Someone was making time for him when people in his closest circle hadn't lifted a finger.

Who was this person? Was it really okay to lean on him? Why did it make him so sad that someone finally was willing to help?

He didn't know.

After all, he hadn't known what to do for a long time. The only thing he'd been able to decide on in a long while was going to the roof of that building. But, here was this tiny bit of emotional relief, a glimmer of hope, though Naruto thought it unlikely to last. Still, he trusted and followed. Perhaps Sasuke was his last hope as unfair as it was to pin that on someone.

That childlike part of himself, however, wanted to believe maybe Sasuke showing up had been a sign, and, as previously mentioned, Naruto was a whole-hearted believer in signs.

* * *

While Sasuke sat on the sofa, sipping at his coffee, Naruto sat beside him—a conservative amount of space between them—holding onto his water bottle. It was half-empty, and he kept squeezing it out of anxiousness. Eventually, Sasuke leaned over to snatch it out of his hands.

"Sorry," Naruto murmured.

"It's fine," replied Sasuke. "Just annoying."

Naruto managed a laugh. "You really have no problem sayin' whatever's on your mind, do you?"

"Not especially, but I've been told it's a problem."

"Told?" Naruto asked. "By who?"

"Whom."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Told by _whom_?"

"Supervisors for one," Sasuke answered irritably. "During employee reviews. My brother. Friends." He set the plastic bottle on the coffee table. "Partners."

Naruto cocked his head to the left. "That aside. I think it's nice. I mean, yeah, you're pretty blunt, but I never have to guess what you're thinkin'. At the moment, it's refreshing. I get these… paranoid thoughts, y'know? Like, I've been really insecure lately, wonderin' what people really think. I think that's why I ended up resigning. Besides the stress of the job, my boss was really… kinda one of the last straws for me. For a day or two, I thought maybe I'd simply find somethin' else, but… I started to realize I didn't have my shit together anymore and freaked, I guess. I didn't… see the point? Besides payin' rent and bills. I had money saved, but…"

"That would be difficult. You've got no job, and you said you recently broke up with a girlfriend?"

"Yeah." Naruto, leaning forward, settled his elbows on his thighs and rested his chin on his clasped hands. "I really liked her, but it became clear she didn't like me near as much."

"How long had you been together?" Sasuke asked.

"Not quite a year."

"That's a long time. I take it you two decided not to remain friends?"

"No," he answered bitterly.

Sasuke nodded. "That's a lot to handle on your own at one time. Your family?"

"I… don't really have any. Parents died when I was young. I got kicked around from foster home to foster home 'cause I didn't have any immediate family. There were some foster siblings I stayed in contact with for a while, but a lot of 'em got involved in drugs. Taking them, sellin' em. Some are in jail."

"I see."

Naruto looked over at him; Sasuke appeared sympathetic, but his gaze was low, directed at the corner of the coffee table.

"Not to change the subject," he broached, "But, it seems that despite it just bein' you and your brother, you seem successful. Well-adjusted and all that."

Sasuke scoffed. "I wouldn't judge a book by its cover."

"Sorry—" He sat up straight. "I didn't mean to offend you."

"You didn't." The other man shook his head. "Just think it's amusing you've spent all night with me and somehow believe me to be well-adjusted."

"I guess." Naruto's brow furrowed. "You helped me. Saved my life I guess I should say, and are still tryin' to help me even though we don't know each other. That makes you a decent person in my book. In fact, I don't know that there are many people like you on this whole damn planet."

"That's probably for the best," Sasuke replied. "But we aren't talking about me."

"Ah, yeah. Sorry."

"Enough with the apologizing." Sasuke threw him a look of irritation. "I'm not judging you. Like I told you, I did what I did because the timing was right, and no one would just let another person jump off a building if they could prevent it. It just happened that way. My body… just moved."

"That, you realize, is… anyway, I won't talk about it anymore. But, I think I can say it means somethin' to me, and I do think it says a lot about you, but I won't push it."

"Sounds good." Sasuke's tone sounded clipped, so Naruto sighed and returned to slouching, his hands lying flat in his lap.

Naruto fidgeted, not knowing what to say and angry with himself for annoying Sasuke.

"I apologize," Sasuke said after a few minutes. "I… don't like talking about myself."

"It's okay. My fault for bringin' it up. Wasn't any of my business."

"It's fine." Shifting, Sasuke pulled one leg over the other, crossing them. "I lost both parents at a young age and was basically raised by my sadistic older brother. He dropped out of college in order to get a job so that he could support the both of us. Though I didn't want to go at first, he'd saved up money for me to attend school. I went, moved around, and ended up here."

Naruto held back a gasp. "That sounds rough."

"I don't… remember a lot of it. I was young."

He nodded. "Still. So, the two of you are close?"

"We are and aren't," Sasuke replied. "Our circumstances growing up made us close, but we see the world very differently, Itachi and I. We fight as much now as we did then. Maybe more."

"What's it like," Naruto wondered aloud, "Havin' an older brother?"

Sasuke's face puckered before he answered succinctly: "Claustrophobic."

Naruto laughed. "Is he a lot older than you?"

"Five years and a month."

"I bet that month makes a big difference," Naruto joked. "And you said he has a daughter?"

"He does. A slip up in his early 20s with some on-again, off-again girlfriend. She wasn't a very fit mother and didn't want kids, so my brother has full custody of her."

"Wow. Parents not wanting their child? I've seen it, but it still blows my mind. What's she like if you don't mind me askin'? Your niece, not the shitty mom."

"She's a lot like my brother," Sasuke pronounced slowly, and then he smiled. "However, I'd say she's much more mature and her sense of humor is less _sociopathic_."

"The way you keep talkin' about him, makes me curious what he's really like in person."

"'Really like'?" Sasuke repeated. "You don't trust my opinion?"

"No, no, I do," Naruto gestured frantically with one hand. "I just think he sounds ornery, y'know? Like, dunno, doesn't a big brother pick on you some, out of affection?"

"Maybe. He was brother and parent for so long, he probably got confused himself."

"Ah. Maybe so." Naruto nearly put his foot on top of the coffee table only to remember he was a guest. "And now he has a kid, too, so he really is a parent. Is he a good dad?"

"Yes." Sasuke, turning to him, looked completely confident in that. "He dotes on her. She's smart, kind, articulate, but not a snob at all. Like _I_ can be."

"You can be a snob?" Naruto asked, then gave it consideration. "I…"

Sasuke raised an eyebrow.

"Uh… I mean… I just think it's your general expression. Very… "

Sasuke's other eyebrow lifted.

"I'm gonna shut my mouth now." Naruto rubbed the back of his head. "Your parents were psychiatrists?"

"They were. Sometimes they invited clients into our home. I remember some of them, I guess. I remember my parents talking about cases, reading psychology books aloud. They used to talk to me like I was a patient sometimes, instead of their child, but I don't remember much."

Naruto thought that was plenty and itched to ask more since that was his way, but also figured he'd already pushed the limits of his curiosity as far as he could with the other man.

"What about you?" Sasuke asked.

"Heh. Where to start?"

"Wherever you want. How's your ankle, by the way? Need any ice?"

"Uh, no. Actually, I forgot." Naruto glanced down at it. "I'm fine. Only sore. How's your jaw?"

"It's fine. Hardly felt it," Sasuke teased. "You… have no family?"

"I guess not." He kept staring at his feet. "Like I said. Only the few foster sisters and brothers that are left."

" _How_?"

Naruto raised his eyes from the floor. "'How' what?"

"How did you do it? Not having any family." Sasuke's eyes met his. "How did you survive the loneliness?"

Naruto gave a sad smile. "Dunno. I _was_ lonely, but I always tried to put up a front. I had a few good friends, but for whatever reason, they kind of… would disappear one by one. If I dated, it was a lot of short-term relationships except the last one. Sakura was her name."

Thinking about her brought Naruto's mood down even further.

"What sucks is, up until then, I'd never really tried. I didn't have a family, a mom, people who truly cared about me in general, so I hadn't understood what a relationship was like. I mean, how you should treat someone. I kinda knew what a guy is supposed to do. I tried to make her happy, make her laugh, open the car door, but I never felt good enough for her. She had gone to college, I hadn't. She was really smart. Very pretty. She'd laugh at my jokes, which was nice."

"So, what happened?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto twiddled his thumbs. "She cheated on me. With some friend from college."

"Ah."

"Heh."

Naruto observed the changes in Sasuke's face—the furrowed brow, the way his mouth pinched in thought, and the slight flush to his pale cheeks (which is why it was so noticable).

"Didn't mean to make you uncomfortable, man," he said.

"It's not that," Sasuke murmured. "I'm just finding it relatable."

"Really?" Naruto was surprised. " _You've_ been cheated on? I woulda pegged you as the cheater."

Sasuke's gaze narrowed. "Pardon me?"

"Oh, I didn't mean it like that!" Naruto waved his arms in front of him. "More like you don't expect good lookin' people to get cheated on. Although, I guess there's Beyonce and Jay-Z. He's pretty ugly. You'd think ugly people would appreciate havin' a good lookin' partner."

"Or," Sasuke interjected. "Because they aren't exceptionally attractive they've always had low self-esteem, so they cheat in order to feel validated."

"Wow, you really _were_ raised by psychiatrists. Maybe you missed your calling."

"In case you haven't noticed. I'm not very good with people."

"You've done alright by me," Naruto praised. "And workin' in IT, you're helpin' people."

"Because I have knowledge about how to fix computers. Fixing people is a bigger responsibility."

"True." He heaved a sigh, having lost his train of thought. "Oh right, family. Parents died when I was a baby. Don't remember 'em, don't have anything to remember 'em by except their names, I guess. When I wasn't in some shitty foster home, I was forced to stay in a facility run by the state, which… despite most of us bein' dysfunctional little assholes, wasn't that bad. I mean it wasn't good, but better than some of the homes I ended up in, which if I had to guess, totaled about," Naruto counted on his fingers, "Ten? Twelve?"

"Jesus, is that even possible?" Sasuke gasped.

"And when I was of legal age, I had a guy that worked there that was good to me and hooked me up with a job. He died a few years later in a car accident. But was kinda like a father to me."

Sasuke looked pensive. "Have you… considered seeing a professional? I mean, have you?"

Naruto scratched under his chin, humming as he thought about the question. "There were counselors at the state-run place and I'd had case workers. But, not, like. Since then. No."

"I think you should consider it," Sasuke urged. "That's a lot for one person to deal with on their own. That's already more than most people handle in their lifetimes."

"Maybe. But I guess I always thought, well, hey at least I'm not in some war-torn country somewhere, gettin' shot at everyday or bein' recruited as a teenage soldier."

"That's a matter of survival," said Sasuke. "Horrible, also. But if you have the resources to make your life better, you should take advantage of them. Don't you think, if those people could choose a different life, they would? You have a choice. If you want to take it."

"Ah, you're jumpin' right into the 'get some help' talk, aren't you?"

"You tried to jump first," Sasuke replied and, thinking he was very funny, smirked again.

Naruto laughed at his sheer audacity. "God, sometimes you come off so… _concerned_ , and then you say shit like that! It's horrible, but also _really_ hilarious."

"I can only be serious for so long." Sasuke brushed some wayward hair out of his eyes.

He'd been looking off for a moment, too. Naruto followed his gaze (to the kitchen).

"I want to ask," continued Sasuke, "Why now? After everything you've endured, what finally caused you to decide to take your life tonight? Why the roof?"

"Hmm." Naruto fidgeted with his hands. "If I had to say, a whole series of events. My failed relationship being one of my last attempts at, I dunno, _trust_? Normality? After that, I wondered if I was ever meant to be happy? Maybe I wasn't meant to be here at all? No one would notice or care, and I'd spent a lot of time workin' in that building. Other things sounded too messy or too easy, but jumpin' off a building takes guts, and I—" Naruto shrugged. "It sounded kinda nice? Freefalling like that. Like flying. And once you jump, there's no goin' back. _Splat_! And it's over."

"I don't know about you," said Sasuke. "But that sounds a terrible way to go."

"Is it?" He hadn't thought so at the time.

"What if someone saw you on the way down, or you landed on someone or their car? You could traumatize someone for life."

"Oh." Naruto put his socked foot on the coffee table. "I hadn't thought of that, but I'd try to aim for the concrete. And there's not a lot of foot traffic around that time. As for seein' me fall…? They probably wouldn't notice? I don't know. Jesus, Sasuke! If people stopped to consider all those things, they wouldn't be tryin' to take their lives in the first place."

Sasuke raised an eyebrow. "You're not wrong. I wouldn't go so far as to say suicide is selfish since the circumstances that drive a person to do it can create tunnel vision, but there's nothing wrong with people considering the effects it would have on others. Especially if it prevents them from harming themselves. Hindsight, however, is 20/20."

"Yeah," he conceded and yawned. "I guess I figured there was no one who'd care."

"Tired?" Sasuke asked.

"A little." He cracked his neck. "Emotionally drained to say the least."

"I think that's understandable."

Naruto began to feel awkward after a pause. "I should… probably get goin'?"

"You don't have to," Sasuke responded. "You're welcome here as long as you'd like. Like I said, you can have the bed, and I'll sleep on the couch."

"No, no, I couldn't put you out like that—"

"Honestly, it's less hassle than having to drive you home, and I'd feel better all around if you did. That way, if you're having a hard time and need to talk, I'll be here."

"But, why?" He asked, dumbstruck. "Why go that far for a complete stranger?"

"Besides the fact you were there in front of me?" Sasuke rubbed his hands over his slacks, looking embarrassed. "It's… what my parents would want me to do, I suppose. And… it seems the human thing to do."

"I'm not even sure, in this day and age, what the human thing is anymore."

"It has become a rather foreboding moment in history," Sasuke agreed. "But it won't always be this way even if, right now, it feels like it's going to go on forever. So, what do you say?"

"Is it really okay?"

"Of course."

"Then… I guess I'm in your care for the night, Sasuke." Naruto, though he felt guilty, smiled lop-sidedly at him.

"You don't have to say it in such a sordid way." Sasuke eyed him suspiciously.

"Heh, sorry. I just… I've never met someone so willin' to help another person they hardly even know. It's confusing, but I really am appreciative."

"It's nothing," said Sasuke. "You can take a shower, too. I'll find you some spare clothes."

"...Thanks."

The other man got up from the sofa, apparently going to find him some clothes as he'd promised. Naruto didn't know if he wanted to laugh or cry. If there were more people in this world like Sasuke, would he have felt differently about his own life? If they'd met by chance in this building and become friends? He didn't think it was likely given their personalities were so different, but there was something reassuring about it. Naruto used to be like that, too, until being betrayed or used so frequently left him broken and worn down emotionally. Having not had parents, he didn't even know if he was supposed to be this way. Or, if he'd been selfless so frequently later on in life simply because he was starved for affection and attention while growing up. It made him want to please people, but it also made him a doormat at times. He'd definitely learned at least that much from his relationship with Sakura.

When Sasuke returned, he held a pile of clothes which he offered to Naruto. Blinking, Naruto stared as if he didn't recognize the items.

"Naruto?"

He shook his head and stood up from the couch. "Sorry, lost in thought."

"I'll show you to the bathroom. The shower might be more than your brain can handle." Sasuke abruptly walked away from him and headed toward the bedroom.

Naruto, without thinking, huffed and chased after him. "I know how to work a _shower_ , Sasuke!"

"We'll see, idiot."

"Bastard," he mumbled. "I take back what I said earlier!"

"Like I care," Sasuke replied, but his tone was light. "Take as long as you need, idiot. I'll be out here working, trying to avoid my brother's phone calls."

"Aw, man. You're so mean to him. I'll talk to him if you want."

"I'll consider it," said Sasuke. "If only because it would piss him off."

Naruto chuckled. "It's the least I can do considerin' everything you've done up until now."

"We'll see how you feel after your shower. Until then," Sasuke opened the door to his small but nicely decorated bathroom with a standing glass shower and sparkling white tile.

"You like blue, huh?" Naruto asked, noticing the dots of blue accessories in the space. Blue towels, washrags, toothbrush, floor mat.

He watched as Sasuke turned on all the various switches for the shower. It also adjusted the lighting outside of the shower and within it.

"You sure like your tech stuff, huh?" Naruto asked.

"It interests me, yes. Now, to turn it off, just flip these two the opposite way." Sasuke pointed at a couple of the knobs inside the shower.

"Got it." He nodded.

"Alright. I'll leave you to it."

Sasuke left, and Naruto, for at least two minutes, stood there with all of Sasuke's clothes in his arms. For some reason, he brought them to his nose and sniffed.

"Smells good."

He set the clothes down on the edge of the sink and carefully got out of his clothes. They smelled of sweat. He tossed them on the floor by the shower. The mirror was already beginning to fog, and while leaning against the sink, he wiped it with his hand.

Naruto stared at himself in the mirror. Is that really what he looked like? Dark bags, sunken cheeks, bloodshot eyes. Sleep sounded good right about now, but a hot shower sounded even better. Opening the shower door, Naruto walked inside and groaned as soon as the water hit his chest. The pressure was ridiculously amazing. He felt spoiled. Sasuke was spoiling him. He was almost ashamed to admit how good it felt, but it was the truth.

How could he ever make it up to Sasuke? How did someone return a favor like this?

He didn't know, but even if it took a lifetime to figure it out, Naruto was willing to give it a try.

* * *

TBC

(just one more)


	4. Chapter 4

**a/n:**

1\. I hope you weren't looking for a greater meaning in this story or something long. I just wanted to work through a thing.  
2\. For those of you who asked if I'm okay? Usually I'd be like 'nah, just a story yo' but, no I'm not okay. Writing is helping, and I've started therapy.  
3\. I don't have a Sasuke (like in this story), so it's nice to imagine one. That makes this fic pretty self-indulgent. Forgive me.  
4\. If you have stuff going on in your head that is beyond your ability to self-manage, please get help. No joke.

Thank you for your reviews. Thank you for listening.

* * *

 _Part 4_

A shower always felt good but gave him far too much time to reflect. On life, relationships, his past, the future. A day ago, a future wasn't even an option. _Hours_ ago it had been even less of an option. Those feelings remained stuck inside his chest, a deep, debilitating pain. A sense of hopelessness, loneliness, and failure. Who was he, and what had been his purpose on this planet? An orphan with no real skills to get him far in life, always surrounding himself with toxic people, and often debilitated by the cruelty he saw in today's world. He'd tried being a good person despite the cards life had dealt him. In the end, it ended up beating him down. Maybe being cruel, being selfish, leeching off others' strengths and kindness—it was all a survival mechanism. And Naruto hadn't evolved. He didn't want to. If fitting into today's society meant being or doing any of these things, he didn't want to be a part of it. It was confusing, then, that one person had shown up at such a moment and turned his cynical perspective upside down.

Who was Sasuke Uchiha?

A man who'd endured loss like he had. Not that Naruto even recalled his parents. Did that make it better or worse? Never knowing your parents versus knowing them and then losing them? He was grateful, not envious, that Sasuke had an older brother. Is that what it would've taken to put Naruto on a better path? To have one person who cared, to rely on, to share your blood, and memories? Naruto would never know for sure. He could admit that most of his relationships had failed either because he'd sabotaged them for fear of abandonment, or clung too hard because he was afraid of being alone. Never had he found the right balance.

How long had he been in here exactly?

Naruto turned all appropriate knobs and pushed all buttons necessary to put an end to what had been one of the most amazing showers in his life. Even after the spray had ceased, he remained standing there, beads of water cascading down his bare skin. He felt the muscles on his stomach, the product of many hours at the gym. Working out had been his therapy. After all, there was nothing anyone could say to bring his parents back or to change his childhood. He'd always felt that these _flaws_ of his had woven into his brain, making it impossible for him to be anything other than what he'd come to be. What would happen when he left Sasuke's apartment tomorrow? Wasn't he simply delaying the inevitable? Did it matter?

If anything, at least it was one good memory to take with him, a nice gesture to hold onto at the end of it all. Even people resigned to their fate appreciated a glimmer of kindness at the finish. Odd, that those gestures of kindness—because so few had been showed to him—made him dangerously sad when he happened upon them. That it _made_ him sad… made it sadder.

Stepping out of the shower, he toweled off and picked up each piece of Sasuke's clothing in appreciative wonder. It was sort of like walking in another man's shoes. He started imagining a life in which he'd met Sasuke at a young age, and they'd bonded over their horrible childhoods. He felt envious of that Naruto. Actually, he just felt creepy for even thinking about it.

Life could be paved in a road of "what ifs" or regrets, but, eventually, it would only lead to a dead end. He shook his head, trying to curb the cycle of negative thoughts assaulting him, but they aggressively clung on while Naruto finished getting dressed. It was with lethargic movements that he finished up, stole a gulp of mouthwash, and threw his clothes into a messily folded pile. Carrying them out in his arms, Naruto found Sasuke at the computer. He wasn't wearing his headphones, so he immediately looked over when Naruto came out.

"I was beginning to wonder if I should check on you," said Sasuke.

"Sorry. I… lost track of time, I think."

"Dissociating?"

"What's that?" He asked.

"Kind of like losing time because you get so lost in your thoughts, or, simply not thinking anything at all."

"Ah. Maybe? I tend to do that a lot," he answered and held up the clothes. "I didn't want to leave them in your bathroom."

Sasuke got up, took them from his arms, and threw them in a hamper inside his closet.

"I'll wash them in the morning," he said.

"You don't have to do that," Naruto protested.

"You really worry a lot about other people, don't you?"

Naruto blinked at him.

"No wonder you're in the state you're in," Sasuke commented and shut the door.

"Sorry," he said, becoming bitter. "I wish I could suddenly just change my personality to not give a shit about people, but it's ingrained in me for some sadistic reason."

"I'm not criticizing," Sasuke replied, a small raise to one eyebrow. "I'm simply saying that a little selfishness goes a long way, and by selfishness, I suppose I mean emotional preservation."

"Detachment?" He asked.

"If you want to call it that. But I think simply making sure your own needs are met. If you can avoid trampling on others, it's ideal, but if you live your life for other people or trying to please them, one of two things will happen: either they'll take advantage of you or they'll grow bored with you for being a pushover."

"I guess I was born in the wrong era," he murmured. "Although, I don't know what era I would've belonged to anyway."

"Maybe third century B.C. Athens?"

Naruto snorted. "Why then?"

Sasuke smirked. "That's when the Stoics were around."

"Stoics?" Naruto crossed his arms. "Are you braggin' about your education again?"

"No, moron," Sasuke replied. "I'm imparting some interesting knowledge. If you have some street smarts you'd like to share with me, I'd be happy to listen."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "Continue. Please teach me about these Stoics."

"Stoics believed in a philosophy of personal ethics," Sasuke explained. "They believed one should use their mind to understand the world around them. To work together, and to treat others fairly and justly. Although, being as emotional as you are, maybe that wouldn't suit you either?"

"Sounds nice in theory. Also sounds a bit pretentious, too."

Sasuke barked out a laugh, surprising him. It was an… odd sound. But nice.

"Heh." Naruto ran a hand through his damp hair. "Glad I can amuse you." He happened to glance to the side of Sasuke, at the tall dresser behind him, and noticed the fish bowl. "Ah, so you weren't lyin' about the fish?"

He walked over, brushing Sasuke's arm in the process as he cooed at the goldfish and tapped the glass.

"Does it have a name?"

"Kisame," Sasuke answered. "My brother named it. After an obnoxious friend of his."

"Kisame, eh? Like kiss-uh-mee?"

"No." Sasuke nudged him out of the way as he turned and stood next to Naruto, the both of them staring at the gaping fish. "Like kiss-ah-may."

"Either way, there's some kissin' involved."

Sasuke groaned.

Naruto chuckled. "He, uh, looks kinda dumb, Sasuke. No offense."

"None taken. On that point, we are in agreement."

Naruto looked over at him, Sasuke looked back. They both laughed.

"Still nice, though. You come home and he's always here. Or her. Don't wanna assume."

"I have no idea of its gender," said Sasuke. "And that's okay."

"For sure." He gave the glass one last tap. "Nice to meet you, Kisame. I hope you continue to take care of Sasuke here."

The fish came up to the glass, its mouth opening and closing as tiny bubbles came out and bobbed for the surface. There were colorful rocks on the bottom and one plastic shrub thing.

"Must be the life," he said. "They're supposed to forget things every three seconds, right?"

"So they say." Sasuke slipped his hands into his pants' pockets. He hadn't yet changed.

"I didn't mean to take such a long shower. I'm sure you wanted to take one, too?"

Sasuke glanced at him. "There you go again. I can take one whenever."

"Ah."

"I'll take one now, though." Sasuke nudged him out of the way and opened a few drawers, pulling out a pair of sweatpants, boxers, and a shirt.

Naruto sat on the end of the bed without thinking about it only to immediately stand.

Sasuke stared at him again. "You can sit there."

"Felt rude." Naruto clenched and unclenched his hands. "Maybe you're right. Maybe I do worry too much. An abnormal amount. Why am I like this?"

Sasuke tilted his chin up and cocked his head. "I don't think… it's a _bad_ quality. Just dangerous for yourself. We can talk about it later if you'd like. I have some theories."

"I dunno. I might be pretty talked out. Might just rest while you're in there."

"I won't be long," said Sasuke. "Don't think too much. You're welcome to play with Kisame, or do whatever on the computer. It's still on."

An overwhelming sense of gratitude hit him full on in the chest.

"Thank you," he said, knowing that his eyes had teared up.

Sasuke stared at him, but only nodded, without making fun. That made Naruto even more emotional, so much so that he started to cry again.

"I'm sorry," he said, wiping at the tears. "I'm so fucked up. I must look really pathetic to you."

"Not at all." Sasuke appeared conflicted for a second, and then set a hand on Naruto's shoulder. "What can I do to put you more at ease?"

"Besides putting me out of my misery?" Naruto joked, wiping at his nose this time.

"Yes, besides that."

"I… don't know. But I'll be fine. Take your shower. I'll sit here and watch the fish."

"Okay." Sasuke searched him. "I won't be more than 10 minutes."

"It's fine." Naruto forced a smile, waving away his concern. "I'm fine."

"We'll talk more when I'm out. I have something that might help you sleep, too."

"O-oh. Okay. Thanks…"

"I'll be right back."

Sasuke, gathering up his clothes, gave Naruto one last look before going into the bathroom. Alone, Naruto stared at the fish. He tapped on the glass.

"You really are a lucky bastard."

* * *

True to his word, Sasuke was out and dressed in less than 10 minutes. Naruto had been staring off most of that time, lost in his thoughts while watching Kisame swim around in circles.

"Have you made a friend?" Sasuke asked after tossing his clothes into the hamper. He shut the closet door afterward.

"My one and only," Naruto returned, snapping out of his thoughts.

"Friends can be overrated."

Naruto watched as Sasuke fussed about the room, picking random things up and putting them somewhere completely different. He plugged his phone into a charger, too.

"Do you have a phone on you?" Sasuke asked. "I don't believe I've seen you look at it if you do."

"I can't say I brought it with me. Didn't want it to fall outta my pocket and hit someone in the head."

"Are you sure there's no one you want to call?"

"...No."

"Are you… _sure_ you don't want to talk?" Sasuke clapped his laptop shut and walked to the foot of the bed, where Naruto had been sitting while he cleaned.

"I don't know," he answered. "I don't know what to say anymore."

Sasuke sat down next to him. "Whatever's on your mind."

"There's nothin'. I'm tired. Of myself. My thoughts. Everything."

"I do highly recommend you seeking out psychiatric help, Naruto. I don't mean it in a patronizing way, I mean it as in, urgently. Even going to the ER if you must."

"I don't want to."

"Naruto."

Naruto looked over, irritable now and without a good reason for it. "I'm tired, Sasuke."

"Then, would you like to sleep? I have some natural sleep aids? Melatonin? It works fast."

"Sure."

"Alright, hold on."

Sasuke, once again, was up. He went into the bathroom, out to the living area, and returned with the bottle of water Naruto had left behind. Naruto took the tiny pill he was offered. After placing the pill bottle on the desk, Sasuke sat beside him again.

"I look at this," Naruto said, "And I wonder things like 'How many does it take before I won't wake up again'. Do you think that's a bad sign?"

"I'm not even finding that funny right now."

Naruto looked at him. Sasuke was dead serious.

"It's true, though," he said.

"I know it's true," Sasuke replied. "It's why it's not funny."

"You were makin' jokes before."

"That was probably the shock. It's wearing off now."

"...Ah." He didn't know what else to say, uncomfortable now that he couldn't joke about it.

"You don't have to take it if you don't want to."

Naruto looked down at the pill sitting in his cupped hand. "I'm scared to."

"Why? It's totally safe—"

"No. That's not what I mean." He shook his head. "Just mean if I get tired, fall asleep, then what happens tomorrow?"

"I see." Sasuke shifted next to him, shoulders slouching as he leaned forward, elbows on his thighs. "We can figure something out. If you want to see someone. I'll help you look up where you can go, call a few places. It's the weekend, so you might not be able to see someone right away."

"It's really okay." Naruto, getting more uncomfortable, itched at the inside of his elbow. "I'll go back to my apartment tomorrow, and, I dunno. I'll figure it out."

"I'm offering," said Sasuke. "There's no reason why we can't figure it out here, together."

Naruto grew more frustrated. "But I don't get why. I don't get why you want to help me."

"I already told you. It's the right thing to do, and I can't help it."

"That doesn't mean you _want_ to," he argued. "I don't want to be a burden!"

"You're not a burden," Sasuke shouted back. "It's your life on the line, Naruto. What do you expect me to do? Kick you out? Ignore that things are so bad for you that you tried to jump off of a high-rise building? I'll march you into the psychiatric ward at the hospital if I have to."

"You wouldn't." Naruto gawked at him.

"I would."

"Tch. Asshole."

"Suicidal idiot."

"Rude!" Naruto pointed at him, but Sasuke batted his finger away.

"Here's the plan," said Sasuke. "You'll sleep. We'll have breakfast tomorrow and start making some calls. If you need something from your apartment, I'll drive you there. You can pick up your suicide note before someone calls the cops on you. You can stay with me until I've deemed you stable. If you need rides to an appointment, I'll make it work."

"But _why_?" Naruto could do nothing more than stare at him, mouth moving a lot like Kisame's earlier. "Why, Sasuke? I just… _why_? No one else in my life has ever given a shit about me or done near as much, not friends, not my ex—not… not anyone. I don't—"

He set his head in his hands, pulling at his hair.

"I don't fuckin' _get_ it!" Naruto screamed.

"Jesus, Naruto," he heard Sasuke say and, in a gesture that astonished him, threw an arm around his shoulders and brought him to his side.

Without having any control over himself, Naruto turned to him and collapsed in his arms. He sobbed uncontrollably on Sasuke's shoulder, crying until he made the man's shirt damp enough to be mistaken as see-through. Naruto cried until his eyeballs ached with the effort, until his skull felt like it would explode, and, all the while, Sasuke held onto him. He said nothing and didn't so much as rub Naruto's back. Sasuke simply let him cry until there was nothing left.

"Feel better?" Sasuke finally asked when the tremors had mostly subsided.

"No, not really," Naruto croaked.

"You're probably exhausted. So, take the damn pill. Anything else, and we'll worry about it tomorrow." He pushed Naruto back gently. "God, you look awful."

Naruto barked out a laugh. "Shut the fuck up, asshole."

He wiped at his eyes and face.

"I think I need a Kleenex," Naruto sniffled.

"I'll get you some."

Sasuke, again, got up to take care of him, grabbing some Kleenex from the bathroom and returning with a fistfull of it. Naruto spent the next five minutes blowing his nose. Patiently, Sasuke stood nearby. There was still a damp mark on the shoulder of his shirt.

"I…" He didn't know what he wanted to say, couldn't put it into words.

"Stop worrying about it," said Sasuke. "I know that's hard for your brain to do right now, but I'm telling you, it's all fine. You can stay as long as you need for now. I won't give up on you."

"Shit." Naruto had to control another overwhelming pulse of emotion shooting through his chest and brain. "Stop sayin' stuff like that, holy cow. I'm gonna have a brain hemorrhage soon."

"Surprised that notion doesn't appeal to you," Sasuke told him.

"Ah hah! There's that sadistic sense of humor!" Naruto slapped him in the forearm, unwavering when Sasuke glared at him for it. "That's the Sasuke I recognize!"

"Take your pill, go to sleep."

Naruto stared at the pill, put it in his mouth, and, after taking a sip of water, swallowed it.

"Good boy," Sasuke praised sarcastically.

Naruto took in a deep breath. Then another.

"You okay?" Sasuke asked.

"I don't know."

"Are you okay to be alone in here? Although, there's Kisame, and I'm only in the living room."

He looked up, eyes swollen and hurting. "I don't know."

"You don't know?" Sasuke repeated.

"I feel scared to be alone," he said. "Scared of my thoughts."

"I don't mind staying in here with you." Sasuke got up and threw back the covers on his bed. "It's big enough. If you don't mind, I don't mind. Unless you snore. Then we'll have a problem."

Confused, Naruto watched him as he settled into bed, very much expecting Naruto to get in with him. Not that the bed was small by any means, and Naruto wasn't uncomfortable with the idea other than he had that nagging feeling of bothering Sasuke. Of feeling needy and pathetic. He didn't want to be alone, but it was hard to ask a stranger for something like this? Was it okay to go along with it? Was it okay in general? Was it weird? Not because they were two guys, but because they barely knew each other.

"You're not actually a homicidal maniac, are you?" Naruto asked, frowning at the other man.

"If I was," Sasuke replied, "We'd be perfect for each other, don't you think?"

"Heh. Guess so."

"Don't worry. I won't molest you while you sleep if your machismo is getting the better of you."

"Machismo?" Naruto asked, standing up and going around to the other side of the bed. "Who says stuff like that?" He slid underneath the sheet. It was too hot for the comforter.

"Just so we're clear," said Sasuke, "If you wake up in the middle of the night and feel panic, roll over and wake me. Do you understand?"

Making himself comfortable, Naruto lay his head on the pillow, facing Sasuke's direction.

"You're really bossy, y'know that?"

"Yes, I've been told as much, but I feel I need to resort to that with you."

"I'm not a kid." Naruto pouted.

Sasuke, picking up his phone, did something on it that made all the lights go off in the apartment except one tiny one on that dresser that lit up the fishbowl in a neon blue.

"Mood lighting?" Naruto teased, watching as Sasuke set his phone down on the bedside table.

"I'm not into crazy," Sasuke replied. "You should be feeling sleepy pretty soon."

"Mmkay." Naruto rubbed at his eyes. "It's embarrassing how much I've cried today. Pardon my _machismo_."

"You _look_ like a crier, so it's no big surprise."

"God, you're such a jerk. A nice jerk, but still a jerk."

"Hn."

"I…"

Sasuke pushed the sheet down to his stomach. "Hm?"

"I don't fuckin' know." Naruto gazed up at the ceiling. "I don't know anything about anything, Sasuke. I just know that… I didn't know people like you existed. It feels surreal. Like, maybe I really did jump, and I'm dead now, and you're some angel tryin' to give me a second shot."

"I do think you deserve to give yourself a second chance, yes." Sasuke turned on his side, propping his head up with his right hand. "But, I'm no angel. I can assure you of that."

"A demon then?" Naruto joked.

"I don't know about any of that religious imagery. But, I can tell you that you did not jump. You are very much alive, and there's help out there for you. Even if it takes a while."

"I don't know much about your parents," he said, "And I don't want to offend you, but they did somethin' really right with you, Sasuke. I think they'd be very proud."

Turning his head, Naruto caught Sasuke's gaze. A sheen appeared on his eyes, making them look like glass. He almost regretted saying anything at all. It had been too much?

"...Thank you." Sasuke cleared his throat. "Thank you for saying that."

"...No problem."

In the darkness, they watched each other for some time. Naruto began to feel the tiny pill working as his anxious thoughts slowed, and his eyelids became heavy.

"Think it's workin'," he said.

"Okay. Let it work."

"If I cuddle you in the middle of the night, don't judge me."

Sasuke smirked. "I'll try not to. I _definitely_ won't try to cuddle you."

"Shucks."

Naruto rolled onto his back, fluffing the pillow under his head. He yawned.

"Your place is really nice. Really calm and relaxin'."

"It's insulated. You can hardly hear the traffic," said Sasuke.

"Yeah."

"It's okay for you to fall asleep."

"Okay."

"We'll get you help in the morning."

"Ok."

"Wake me if you need anything," Sasuke insisted.

"I know," he said, tone gentle and amused. "I heard ya. I'll wake you up if I'm feelin' batshit."

"Good."

"Sasuke?" Naruto glanced the other man's way; Sasuke had his eyes closed, the blue light from the fishbowl casting an eerie glow across the lower part of his face.

"Hm, idiot?"

"Thank you."

"No need for thanks."

"I think that this is, uh, like _exactly_ the sorta situation the word 'thanks' was invented for?"

"Yes, well, your gratitude makes me feel awkward and uncomfortable."

Naruto gave a chuckle. "You're weird."

"Says the guy who tried to jump off a building a few hours ago. Go to sleep."

"I'll try."

Sasuke cracked open an eye. "Wake me if you need me."

Naruto, smiling, nodded at him. "Okay."

"Promise?" Sasuke asked.

Naruto nodded again. "I promise."

"No more jumping off buildings anytime soon either?"

"We'll see."

Sasuke's other eye opened. He shot a glare at Naruto.

"Okay. I'll try to leave myself in your hands," said Naruto. "If it's okay with you."

"It's okay." Sasuke shut his eyes again. "Now, sleep."

"Goodnight, Sasuke."

"Goodnight… Naruto. Sleep well."

* * *

 **The End.**


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